Ginia



Jan. 15, 1924. 1,480,810

. L. H. WHEELER VAPOR INTERCEPTOR FOR VACUUM FUEL FEED DEVICES Filed June 12 1922 JNVENTOR.

WIT V5 v i mil/Mink.

By Wm i ATTORNEKS.

Patented Jan. 15, 1924,

UNITE .ali ti 13. L

LEONARD H. WVHEELER, 015 CltlIlTCi-ifl-O, ILLINOTW, ASEIGNOR T0 STEVTART-WABNEB SPEEDOME'IER CUBPOli-ATION, Q1? EilElIilC/AGO, JELLJINOIS, A, CORPORATION U15 VIE- GINIA.

"VAPOR INTERCEP'IUR FOB VACUUM: IEUELLFE]ED DEVICES.

Application filed June 12, 19532.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Lnonnno H. WHEEL- ER, a citizen of the United States, residing; in the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and the State of Illinois, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in Vapor Interceptors for Vacuum Fuel-Feed Devices, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanyinpr drawings, forming; a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide in combination with a vacuum fuel feed device for an internal combustion engine means for intercepting any vaporized portion of the fuel which may be drawn by the vacuum producing means, and preventing the same from being carried over through the source of suction. It consists in the elements and features of construction shown and described, as indicated in the claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of an internal combustion en ine of an automobile, having a vacuum fuel feed device equipped with this invention, the engine being shown in dotted outline, except as to the intake manifold and. carbureter, which are most directly concerned in the operation of the invention.

Figure 2 is an axial section of the intercepting device with an adjacent portion of the vacuum tank to which it is connected.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail section of a baiiledevice in the interceptor.

Figure t is a vertical section of the valve fitting in the suction connection, section being made axial with respect to the pipe connection of said. fitting.

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view showing a manually operable valve for determining; the selection of the source of suction, the valve being in section axial with respect to its pipe connections.

In the drawings, the intake manifold of the engine is represented at A and carbureter at A B is the vacuum fuel feed tank of familiar construction, comprising the in nor vacuum chamber, B and the outer service chamber, B with the annular space, B between the two at the upper part. C is the ,fuel supply pipe leading from a low level source, not shown, discharging into the Serial No. 56'?,572.

vacuum chamber, B D is a pipe leading from the service chamber, B, to the carbureter, A E is the oil circulating pump for maintaining the supply of lubricant to the working parts of the engine. F is the in take pipe for the oil pump leading; from the oil supply in the crank case as shown at F is a shuteofl and regulating valve in the pipe, F. G, G is a pipe leading; from a 'l iittinpg, F in the pipe, F, for suction connection with the vacuum chamber, B which connection is made through the vapor interceptor, H. hereinafter described. G is a suction pipe from the intake manifold, making junction. with the pipe line, G G at the valve fitting, G hereinafter more particularly described. G is a shut-oil and regulating valve in the pipe, G, intermediate the T-fitting, F and the valve fitting, For intercepting the vapor which may be drawn from the suction line from the vacuum chamber, B and preventing it from passing over to the source of suction whether that source of suction be the intake manifold by way of the pipe line, G or the oil circulating); system by way of the pipe line, G, the T-fittin o;, F and the pipe line, F, to the oil pump, E, the vapor interceptor, H, is interposed in the suction line. This vapor interceptor consists primarily of a liquid trap, H preferably formed interiorly of the water jacket, H as seen most clearly in Figure For the purpose of trapping the liquid which may be condensed from the vapor or drawnover in globular form into the vacuum chamber, 13 the suction pipe, D makes a return bend for entering the trap, H at the top; and from the top of the trap the pipe, 0?, leads upward and makes a return bond for leading to the source of suction. This construction causes the deposit of any liquid globules drawn over with the air or vapor by the reversion in the direction of the current which is forced by its downward entrance into and its upward exit out of the trap, H at the same time the delay or slowing down of the currentmovement to the trap, on account of the enlargement which said trap constitutes in the passage, permits condensation of the 7 vapor; and th1s condensation 1s further as-' sisted by the cooling Water in. the jacket, H,

Further to enforce the deposit in the trap of any liquid carried by the current, there is provided, preferably within the water jacket. member, H in a short enlarged sec tion. (P, of the pipe which extends within the jacket from the upper end of the trap to the top of the jacket chamber, mechanical ba'tlling means, consisting of a plurality of ba'tlles, J. These baflies consist each of a short tubular portion, J which is surmounted by a hood member, J having a dmvnwardlyextending marginal flange, and spaced off from the upper end of the tubular portion by three short supporting posts, J These devices are mounted 'one'above an other centrally within the pipe section, (l each by means of an annular hanger and spacer, K ,'eXteriorly diametered for fitting iiin said pipe section, (Z and interiorly dian etered at its smaller 'end for fitting tightly about and grasping the short tubu la r member, J ',-thereby-forming about said pipe member, J an annular pocket, K*. which gathers the liquid which may be forced out of the current by the baffling hood, J said hanger having a series of apertures, K through which the liquid is drained from the pocket into the trap,each of saidbaliles draining into the baffle below it and the lowest one delivering directly into the trap, as may 'be understood from the drawings. The trap, H, is mounted by means of the coupling, R, for delivery from its bottom into theupper end of theannular space, B constituting a-portion of the service chamber of the vacuum chamber, a heck valve, L, being provided at the discharge fromthe trap which opens for delivery of the liquid from the trap down into the said annular space, B and is seated upwardly'by the suction. It will beunderstood, therefore, that the liquid accumulated in the trap so long as there is suction through the pipe, DK-will cease when the engine is stopped: and while the engine is at rest. the liquid which may have accumulated in'the trap will drain into the service chamber. B 1

-When both means of suction, viz., by means of oilpumpthrough the pipes, G, G and from the intakemanifold through the pipes, G, G are provided, it will usually be considered desirable to utilize the suction from the intake manifold; and that onlyyso long aS that suction'is adequate, the suction by means'of the oil pump being brought into service only tosupplement the deficiency of suction in the intake manifold bysubstituting the oil pump suction when the manifold suction isdeficientx The valves, F and G, being adjustedso' that the suction derived fromthe oil pump shallat its minimum be adequate for the maximum requirement for operating the vacuum tank, the valve fitting, G3, .at the iunction of the two lines of succi a tion is designed to automatically cut oil the suction of the manifold and utilize the suction of the oil pump only when the suction of the manifold falls below said minimum requirement; and, similarly, the range of the oil pump suction from minmum to maximum being narrow, the same device operates to cut ofi the oil pump suction whenever the manifold suction exceeds the oil pump suction. This is effected by means of check valves, N, N at the entrances oi the pipes. and (1", respectively, to the upper end of the fitting, (it, said check valves seating downward and being thereby normally seated by gravity, and opening upward in response to the suction in said. pipe lines. respectively. Upon consideration of this construction, it will be seen that the suction in the pipe lines, or (1- which is the stronger, will produce in the passage y of the valve fitting, G a vacuum superior to the vacuum produced in the other pipe line; and will thereby cause the valve at the entrance of said other pipe line to remain seated while the suction of the first pipe line,'the one having the stronger suction, operates alone for drawing through the pipe line, G

Instead of relying upon the automatic determination of the source ofsuction which is effected by means of the pipe fitting, G. and its check valves, N and N, it may be preferred to control at will the selection of the source of suction as either manifold alone or the combination of the oil pump and the manifold with the means shown for deriving suction from whichever source affords the greater vacuum at any instant, in which case," usually the driver will cause the suction to'be taken from the intake manifold alone whenever that suction is sufficient. and will shift it to the other suction line when the manifold suction becomes deficient. For this purpose, the construction shown in Figure 5 may be employed, in which the pipe, 9 leading; from the intake manifold, and the pipe, which may he understood as leading from the valve. i and through the fitting G, in the line from the oil pump, reach the three-way valve fitting, K, the said valve being adjustable to either position by means of the link 1 extendingfrom the valve lever, 2, and so adapted for admitting the suction either from the manifold through the line, q. or from the oil pipe line througlgh the line, 7.

It will be seen upon consideration that when the automatic valve device. G. is em ployedfthe stopping of the engine will not restore atmospheric pressure to the trap, unless means he provided for air to pass the valves, N and N ,-and'thcse valves are therefore each provided with a bleed or small aperture, n, which will not prevent the valves beings eatedas above described 1 i in the passage in which the suction is less; and the suction leak through this port will be negligible.

I claim 1. In combination with an internal combustion engine, a vacuum fuel feeding device for the same and a liquid circulating pump, connections from the vacuum chamber of the vacuum fuel feed device to the liquid pump intake for producing vacuum by means of said pump; a gravity trap in said connection; drainage connection from the trap to the service chamber of the vacuum fuel feed device, and means in said drainage connection for preventing suctioncaused outflow from said service chamber.

2. In the construction defined in claim 1, foregoing, bafliing devices in the portion of the conduit leading up from the trap and toward the source of suction, for arresting and deposit and drainage back to the trap of liquid particles carried in the vapor current.

3. In the construction defined in claim 1, foregoing, a Water jacket enclosing the trap.

4. In the construction defined in claims 1 and 2, foregoing, a Water jacket enclosing the trap and the baflic-containing portion of the conduit.

5. In combination With an internal combustion engine, a vacuum fuel feeding de vice for the same, comprising a vacuum chamber and a service chamber or passage for delivery to the carbureter; suction con nection from the vacuum chamber to a source of suction; a gravity trap for liquid in said suction connection, and drainage connections for such gravity trap back to the service chamber.

6. In the construction defined in claim 5, foregoing, a Water jacket for cooling the trap for causing condensation and deposit of vapor sucked out of the vacuum chamber.

7. In the construction defined in claim 5, foregoing, the vacuum chamber having suction connection with two lines leading to sources of suction, and valve means for controlling at will said communication for deriving the suction alternatively through said two lines.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Chicago, Illinois, this 7th day of June, 1922.

LEONARD H. WHEELER. 

